“I want to sit with Junhoe oppa!”

Hanbyul bolted from her mother’s side towards Junhoe, who gleefully opened his arms wide for her, scooping her up onto his lap. 

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Hanbin’s mom asked, and Junhoe shook his head. 

“Of course not! I have the prettiest girl in all of Seoul sitting with me, what’s not to love?” He wrapped his arms securely around her and she giggled in response. Junhoe loved Hanbin’s little sister, thought she was the cutest thing in the world. Of course it helped that she adored him and was always glued to his side whenever he visited. 

Hanbin stood by and watched, amused at the scene. Usually his parents didn’t bring Hanbyul to his boxing competitions, but this time she’d asked to come and they weren’t about to tell her no. They were all fully aware that she might not understand the point of all the punching, but Hanbin’s parents had always believed in exposure first, explanation second. The less you treated something like it was wrong, the quicker acceptance would come, and there was a difference between a controlled environment like a boxing tournament and unnecessary violence on TV. 

He was glad they’d brought her, though, because it would be easier to keep Junhoe in a good mood with her around. It had been a trying week leading up to today (after a worse week before that) and Hanbin was just ready for today to be over. 

Last weekend he’d pretty much forced Junhoe into meeting Bobby, despite all the protests he’d made. It had gone exactly as expected: Bobby had been polite and Junhoe answered it with stone-faced suspicion.

Hanbin was tired.

Junhoe was nervous. 

After meeting Bobby the previous weekend he’d been stewing over it all week and had reached an unnerving conclusion: Bobby seemed okay. Junhoe hated to admit it, but he kind of liked Bobby. He’d been very careful to ensure that neither Bobby nor Hanbin had figured that out, though, because he didn’t want Bobby to get comfortable. Hanbin was Junhoe’s best friend, and he’d be damned if some new boyfriend was going to slack off and treat him poorly. He wanted Bobby to stay on his toes, wanted him to feel like he had to prove himself every time Junhoe met him. 

For Hanbin’s sake, of course. Junhoe didn’t share easily, he was aware of that, and it felt weird to share Hanbin with someone he didn’t know. When Hanbin had started dating Woosung, his first boyfriend, Junhoe hadn’t had quite as hard a time as he was having now, but that was because he’d known Woosung first. Even though he’d never thought that Woosung was good enough for Hanbin, he hadn’t exactly been terrible, either, and Junhoe had considered him a friend before he’d hooked up with Hanbin, so he knew he wasn’t just going to screw him over. They’d been able to hang out as three and Junhoe had never felt out of place. 

But Bobby was completely unknown, Junhoe hadn’t had weeks to get to know him first. They didn’t even go to the same school, so Junhoe couldn’t watch him during times when Hanbin wasn’t around (he’d made a habit of watching Woosung for the first few weeks, making sure he wasn’t messing around behind Hanbin’s back). What if Bobby was messing around with someone else at his school? What if Hanbin was just a guy on the side? Junhoe had a hard time trusting people he didn’t know. Hanbin trusted very easily, which was half the reason why Junhoe was always so suspicious. Would Hanbin even notice if Bobby was acting suspicious? Junhoe wasn’t convinced he would. 

Hanbin liked to about it, said his suspicion would bite him in the one day. But that was fine. Better to be safe than sorry (especially if it involved Hanbin getting his hopes up over some ). 

He wasn’t looking forward to seeing Bobby today, but he was even more worried about Jinhwan. Junhoe didn’t believe Hanbin’s assessment of Jinhwan at all. There was no way Jinhwan was as nice as Hanbin had said he was. Jinhwan was obviously a manipulator, a shill who wouldn’t hesitate to hide his true self and choose what he presented. 

Junhoe thought Jinhwan was possibly even a bit of a psychopath. He’d know for sure after today. 

For now Junhoe was content to sit with Hanbin’s family, flaunting his close relationship with them in Bobby’s face whenever he showed up. He’d been there when Bobby had met Hanbin’s parents (his mom in particular really liked Bobby, mostly because of how polite he was) but Hanbyul was still wary. Of course she was very shy with new people, but still. Her refusal to give Bobby a hug had made Junhoe’s day, and he felt a great solidarity with her. 

Hanbin left them momentarily to go and join his team for a pre-tournament discussion (a glorified pep talk, Junhoe hated listening to them) so Junhoe entertained Hanbyul, who was asking him what he knew about birds (which wasn’t much, but he could bull his way through a conversation). Her questions ranged from normal (“how far can a bird fly before it gets tired?”) to hilarious (“do birds keep their food in small refrigerators?”) to terrifying (“what should I do if a bird gets into my room and tries to eat my eyes?”) . He didn’t know what had prompted the last question and he wasn’t about to ask and find out. 

He loved it, though. Hanbin was the only friend of his with a sibling this young. Talking to a four year old made everything interesting. 

Hanbin focused on the words of his trainer, always perfectly attentive regardless of how little he benefitted from any kind of pep talk. He knew what he needed to do, knew how to fight to his advantages. He didn’t need anyone else trying to hype him up, he had his own reasons for competing. But his teammates enjoyed the group talks, and despite not being the oldest, Hanbin was still the most accomplished one on his team here this weekend. There were four of them competing today, but some of their older teammates (who were too old for the age group in the tournament) were coming to cheer them on. 

So Hanbin wanted to present a good image and be a good influence on the others. But he also wanted to look around a bit, see if he recognized anyone he’d be fighting. He had a few guys he considered his rivals (in the ring only, out of the ring they were quite friendly with each other) but he’d been too busy dealing with Junhoe to text any of them and ask if they were competing. 

When his coach finished his speech Hanbin finally took a look around, and right away he spotted one of those rivals, Lee Chanhyuk. Despite being rather short, Chanhyuk was very quick and very scrappy. They’d fought four times already: two victories for Hanbin, one for Chanhyuk, and one draw. Their verbal sparring matches were every bit as entertaining in Hanbin’s mind. They waved to one another before making threatening hand gestures. 

It was on his way back to join his family when Hanbin happened to look over at the entrance to the gym, his eyes falling immediately on his boyfriend. He tried to still the obnoxiously fast beating of his heart, annoyed that his body was betraying him by getting excited so quickly. He was here to fight, not flirt, and he needed to remain focused on the boxing. Still, it was nice to know that Bobby would be here, watching him. He made his way over to where Bobby was standing with Jinhwan, looking around for him. 

Bobby gave him a hug when he reached them and Hanbin planted a quick little kiss on his cheek. It seemed to take Bobby by surprise. Hanbin hadn’t really discussed just how out he was in the boxing community, so Bobby had probably assumed he’d want to keep their relationship secret. Hanbin didn’t care who saw, though. 

“Right on time,” Hanbin said by way of greeting, keeping one arm looped loosely around Bobby, “just finished my team meeting, so let’s go find my family.” 

“Is your little sister here?” Jinhwan asked. 

“Yeah, she actually asked to come. She’s never watched me box before, so it should be interesting.” 

“Ah well, you’d better win, then!” Jinhwan replied, eyes scanning the room, looking for Hanbin’s family. He spotted Junhoe almost immediately, intrigued when he saw him with a little girl on his lap. That had to be Hanbin’s sister. 

“That’s the plan! If I lose today, Bobby might think he’s a bad luck charm.” Hanbin teased his boyfriend, who grinned back at him. 

“Just don’t get distracted looking for me, alright? I don’t want to give Junhoe another reason to hate me.” Bobby teased back. 

“Ah don’t worry, you’re not that distracting!” At just that moment Junhoe happened to notice them, frowning momentarily before reverting his attention to Hanbyul. Once again Hanbin felt grateful for her presence. 

Bobby frowned too when he saw Hanbyul sitting happily on Junhoe’s lap, engaging him in conversation. She’d been super shy when he’d met her the first time, despite his every effort to win her over. Bobby liked little kids, he thought they were adorable and their energy was always invigorating. But Hanbyul had hidden from him the entire time (half behind her mom, and half behind Junhoe) despite even Hanbin trying to coax her out. 

He desperately hoped she’d like him more this time. 

Hanbin’s heart pounded hard as he approached his family, feeling nervous and wondering if this was really a good idea? Didn’t he have enough to focus on today without worrying about how everyone was going to get along? Junhoe had promised that he’d be nice, as had Jinhwan. Hanbin couldn’t afford to spend any of his time worrying about them. 

His mom stood up as they approached, a warm smile on her face as she greeted Bobby. 

“It’s good to see you again, Bobby!” She beckoned him forward for a hug, and Bobby gladly hugged her back, touched that she seemed genuinely happy to see him. He’d been extremely nervous on the day that he’d met Hanbin’s parents, and even though they’d both been very nice to him, he was nervous about meeting them again. What if they’d changed their minds about him? What if they thought he wasn’t good enough for their son? Judging by their expressions he’d been worried for nothing. 

“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Kim!” Bobby replied, bowing before turning to greet Hanbin’s father. 

“And this must be Jinhwan!” She gave him a quick hug too, which had Jinhwan smiling. It was nice to be welcomed immediately and with such affection. 

“It’s nice to meet you!” Jinhwan replied, bowing as well. “I’m looking forward to watching Hanbin fight today. I haven’t watched much boxing before, to be honest.” 

“Ah well if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. Hanbin and I have been boxing together for a long time, haven’t we?” Hanbin’s father offered. 

“He told us about the time when you accidentally knocked him out when sparring!” Jinhwan replied with a grin, and the older man laughed. 

“Yes, I was just accidentally reminding him who’s the boss!” He joked, and Hanbin shook his head and moved next to his father. 

“Do you hear that? Admitting in public that he purposefully kicked my ?” Hanbin teased as he slid his arms around his dad and hugged him. 

“It worked, didn’t it?” The older man replied, “never given us a single problem!” He patted his son on the head before looping an arm around his shoulders. 

Jinhwan watched them with a heavy longing in his heart. He hadn’t heard from his own father in over three years. It was always a relief to see his friends have close relationships with their parents, but it hurt. Not that he really wanted to be close to his dad (because he’d never really been a good man, always disappearing and breaking promises) but if his dad had been a different person, maybe. He’d even welcome a step-father, as long as his mom was happy. 

Ah well. He was close to Bobby’s father at least, maybe over time he’d be close to Hanbin’s family too? They both seemed like the type of parents who showered their children’s friends with warm affection. 

Through all the greetings Junhoe remained quiet, using shy Hanbyul as a convenient excuse to not greet either of them. She currently had her head buried in his chest, but she kept peeking at the newcomers over her shoulder. Junhoe was secretly pleased that she hadn’t greeted Bobby yet. 

“Junhoe, aren’t you going to greet your friends?” Mrs. Kim asked, noticing the one quiet member of the group. Hanbin had told her about Junhoe’s reluctance to be friendly with Bobby, citing the match a few weeks ago with Jinhwan. But he’d asked her to act like she didn’t know anything, so that’s exactly what she was going to do. Try to get him to talk. 

Junhoe didn’t want to rude in front of her, so he turned towards Bobby, forcing a smile to his face. “Hey Bobby.” Bobby had told Junhoe he could call him hyung when they’d met, but it felt weird on Junhoe’s tongue, and he just couldn’t force it out. He wasn’t going to greet Jinhwan, though. He just couldn’t, not even for Hanbin’s mom. 

Jinhwan grinned and leaned in closer to her when she frowned at Junhoe. “We know each other through jiu jitsu,” he began to explain, and at that moment Hanbin turned to look at him, face dropping in alarm as he listened--“I beat him at a tournament a few weeks ago so we’re not exactly friends.” 

Jinhwan grinned as he watched Junhoe’s face drop suddenly, and seconds later Junhoe’s cheeks were burning red with barely suppressed rage and he looked away. Jinhwan originally hadn’t meant to do it. He’d promised Bobby (multiple times, actually, he’d promised Hanbin too) that he was going to be nice. 

That had all gone out the window the second he’d laid eyes on him, though, the memory of Junhoe’s smug attitude from a few weeks ago changing his mind. 

He’d apologize to Hanbin later. 

“Ah, losses are just a part of life’s training!” Hanbin’s dad cut in. He didn’t have the full story behind Junhoe and Jinhwan, but it wasn’t difficult to piece it together now. “There’s no shame in losing a fight, as long as you learn something from it.” 

“I’ll remember that later if I lose.” Hanbin said, desperate to get the attention off of Junhoe, lest he storm off. He was a little disappointed in Jinhwan for bringing it up, though. He’d promised to be nice. 

“Don’t, because it doesn’t apply to you. You better win this whole thing!” His dad teased back. 

“Ah, so much pressure!” Hanbin whined, frowning for effect and looking at Bobby. 

Bobby’s expression was soft and amused, a little affectionate while he watched Hanbin being teased by his father. He liked Hanbin’s parents a lot, they were young and cool and joked easily. 

“Don’t worry, Hanbin-ah! You’ll do well!” Bobby said, shooting him a double thumbs up. Hanbin smiled cutely back at him. 

“That’s right! Can’t disappoint the new boyfriend!” His dad teased again, and Hanbin groaned. 

“If I do lose, it’s because of the pressure you’re putting on me!” He whined, frowning at his dad’s amused grin. 

“It’s okay, Bin-ah,” his dad said, “even if you lose, you’ll still be my favourite son.” 

“I’m your only son!” Hanbin replied. 

“Of course you are! When you get it right the first time, there’s no need to try again.” His dad replied, squeezing his shoulder. Hanbin couldn’t help but grin at the comment. As much as his father liked to , Hanbin knew that he was very proud of him, for the important things and the little things alike. It was a nice feeling, to never feel like heneeded to prove himself to either of his parents. 

“Oh I like that,” Bobby cut in, “I’m gonna tell that to my brother!” 

“Ah, don’t be inciting sibling rivalries!” Hanbin’s mom added, shaking her head at them. 

“Speaking of siblings,” Hanbin spoke up, “Byul-ah! Kim Hanbyul! Why are you hiding? Come and say hello!” Hanbin called to his sister, who was still hiding in Junhoe’s arms. She peeked over her shoulder at him, shy smile on her face, and shook her head. 

“Hanbyul, listen to your brother! Don’t you remember meeting Bobby last week? He wants to say hello to you!” Their mother sat down next to Junhoe, laying a hand on her daughter’s head. 

Bobby watched them with a smile, hoping she’d at least look him in the eye this time. 

After a moment of coaxing Hanbyul finally turned around, though she remained with Junhoe. She looked at Bobby, meeting his eyes for a second before looking away. It was enough to make him smile, though. She spent a bit longer looking at Jinhwan, and even waved shyly at him. 

Jinhwan gave her a big smile back, waving at her too. But she hid in Junhoe’s chest again. 

“I can’t believe how much your sister looks like you!” Jinhwan exclaimed, because it was striking. Their faces were very similar. 

“Ah, don’t insult her!” Hanbin replied with a frown. 

“You’re both beautiful!” Mrs. Kim exclaimed, content to leave Hanbyul with Junhoe. She’d warm up to the strangers eventually. 

“Yeah, Hanbin! Hanbyul really does look like you, so you can’t call yourself ugly, otherwise you’ll be insulting her too.” Jinhwan teased. 

“You’re not even ugly anyway,” Bobby interjected, “so quit it.” 

While the three of them continued teasing one another, Junhoe listened in silence, pretending not to pay attention to them but listening intently. Bobby won himself points by continually showering Hanbin with praise, which Junhoe grudgingly granted him. Jinhwan continued to be a pest, even though it seemed like he was the only one who could see it. Hanbin’s mother took to Jinhwan quickly, which irritated Junhoe. Even Hanbin’s dad was joking with Jinhwan, and Junhoe hadn’t missed the fact that Hanbyul had actually waved at him. 

The little traitor. 

He couldn’t blame her, though. Kids liked people with soft faces, and despite being a huge jerk, Jinhwan did have a friendly face, as much as it pained Junhoe to admit it. He still hated the stupid heart-shaped birthmark, still wanted to punch it off of Jinhwan’s stupid face. 

Stupid cute face that looked like a little pixie when he laughed. Junhoe wasn’t sure how he was going to manage making it through the day without snapping at him. 

“I want to go say hi to a few people, you guys wanna come?” Hanbin didn’t have a fight scheduled for nearly an hour, so he wanted to go and get his greetings out of the way now. 

“Of course!” Bobby was curious about meeting Hanbin’s boxing friends. Hanbin had mentioned a few of them, explained how he had a group of competitors he regularly met up with for dinners every other month. He thought it was a nice gesture. 

“Why don’t the four of you go sit together? I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck with us all day.” Hanbin’s mom wanted to give the boys a chance to speak freely, hoping that maybe it would help Junhoe feel a bit more at ease with the other two. 

That was the last thing Junhoe wanted to do. Maybe if they kicked Jinhwan to the curb… He didn’t really have a choice, though, because he wasn’t about to let Jinhwan spend the day with Hanbin, poisoning his ear. He gave Hanbyul a hug and a kiss on the cheek before standing up. 

He refused to meet Jinhwan’s eyes, intent on ignoring him as much as possible. He walked next to Hanbin as he made his way down the bleachers, heading for the other side of the gym where Chanhyuk was sitting with his team. He liked Chanhyuk, appreciated his quick wit and sarcasm. He was Junhoe’s favourite out of Hanbin’s competitive boxing friends. 

But Chanhyuk trained at a club with a rather homophobic owner, and it showed in the behaviour of a lot of his teammates. Junhoe knew that Chanhyuk caught a lot of flak for being friends with Hanbin, but Chanhyuk never let it bother him. Instead he tended to flaunt the friendship in their faces, showing that he wasn’t worried about going against the status quo at his club. 

“Hey Chanhyuk-ie, your little squad’s here!” 

Hanbin grinned at the attempted insult that greeted him. It was always the same old , to the point that it was more boring than anything now. “Sorry to interrupt your own circle jerk.” Hanbin replied, smiling brightly at the group. 

“What did you just say?” The main instigator, Dong Jaesuk, made as though he were about to stand up, but Chanhyuk shoved him back down. 

“Oh would you shut up for once, Jaesuk? Same thing every time, get a new opening line at least.” Chanhyuk brushed past his teammates, bumping fists with Hanbin. 

“How are you, loser? What’s up, Junhoe?” He bumped fists with Junhoe as well, who nodded back at him. “Who are these two? Don’t tell me you have a new boyfriend?” Chanhyuk’s eyes flashed briefly over Bobby and Jinhwan, critical and curious. 

“I do! Guess which one?” Hanbin asked, flashing a grin at the two in question. 

“Gotta be this one,” Chanhyuk pointed at Bobby, “cause you don’t like short guys.” 

“Hey! Watch it!” Jinhwan replied, faking insult. 

“Ah hyung, don’t mind Chanhyuk! He’s actually shorter than you!” Hanbin relayed, and Jinhwan’s face brightened in a smile. 

“I like him already!” Jinhwan replied. 

“He’s the same age as me, though, so there’s a chance he may still grow a few inches!” Hanbin couldn’t help but tease them both. 

Chanhyuk shook his head. “Nah, I’ve been the same height since I was twelve, I don’t think you’re at risk.” 

“Me too.” Jinhwan replied, before Hanbin introduced them both properly. They chatted for another minute before Chanyuk’s coach called him back to the group. 

Hanbin couldn’t just leave them without getting a final jab in, though. “Hey Jaesuk, I hope we face each other later.” He’d fought Jaesuk before and couldn’t resist setting him off. 

“I hope so too, can’t wait to knock your out in front of your little friends.” Jaesuk’s voice dripped with venom. 

“You can try!” Hanbin replied with a laugh. 

“Didn’t you kick his last time you fought, Hanbin?” Junhoe interjected, looking between the two. 

“Yeah actually, I think I did!” Hanbin replied, grinning at Junhoe joining in. 

“In fact, haven’t you beaten him each time you faced him?” Hanbin nodded, and Junhoe looked back at Jaesuk, grinning when he looked like he was contemplating getting to his feet. “I remember watching that fight! You were generous, actually.” He looked back at Hanbin. 

Hanbin shot Junhoe a look of confusion at his comment. “How so?” 

“Gave him not one, but two black eyes!” Junhoe replied, looking back at Jaesuk and winking at him. Jaesuk was about to get up but was restrained by a teammate, and Chanhyuk once again told him to shut up, before waving goodbye to the four as they left. 

Bobby followed them in silence, intrigued by what he’d just watched. On one hand he’d felt super angry at the guy for talking about Hanbin just because he was gay, and had almost stepped in to challenge him. Which was stupid, because Hanbin could obviously handle himself. 

But it had been nice to see Junhoe step in, and Bobby wondered how often they probably stuck up for one another? The way they’d jabbed back and forth had seemed so natural, almost like they were practiced at it. It was a little soothing to see. Despite Junhoe’s frosty behaviour towards him so far (and his unfair treatment of Hanbin for the past two weeks) Bobby knew that there had to be a side of Junhoe he had yet to see that kept Hanbin around. He assumed what he’d just watched was probably the tip of their real friendship, and it was nice to know that Junhoe was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to follow Hanbin into a potentially dangerous situation. 

Jinhwan had drawn a similar conclusion, though he’d thought that half of Junhoe’s motivation had probably just been in instigating, prodding at Jaesuk’s insecurity. Not that Jinhwan himself could really fault that type of behaviour, because wasn’t that exactly what he’d done to Junhoe himself earlier? 

It was refreshing to see that Hanbin was clearly unbothered by the hate, though. Jinhwan didn’t really talk much about his uality when it came to jiu jitsu. It’s not that he actively hid it, but he didn’t go around announcing it either, and if someone had insulted him directly to his face like that, he didn’t know if he’d have been as cool about it as Hanbin was. 

But then he thought about Hanbin’s parents, and thought they were probably responsible for that attitude. Hanbin didn’t seem to hide anything from them, and they freely without causing hurt feelings. Hanbin seemed to have a natural confidence that wasn’t easily shaken, and as much as Jinhwan liked to act the same, he didn’t feel it. It was just another thing to admire about him. 

After greeting another two people Hanbin led them back to the bleachers, sitting a few rows up from the rest of his team. Despite a rocky start to the day, he was in a good mood now and felt a little better about the whole thing. He was oddly grateful to Jaesuk even, because one of the easiest ways to get Junhoe in a good mood was to give him the opportunity to talk to someone who truly deserved it. 

Hanbin sat down in between Junhoe and Bobby, Jinhwan sat beside Bobby, and Hanbin hoped they could have a breakthrough of some sort before he had his first match. Not that he would be distracted during the fight, but he didn’t want to come back to an uncomfortable atmosphere. 

Junhoe was in a much improved mood after their walk around, and he happily struck up conversation with Hanbin about the gossip they’d picked up from their chats with the other fighters. The best news was that Hanbin’s only serious hated rival in the boxing community (the same fighter he’d forced out of his own club two years ago by beating him in a fight) had been called up by the army, so they’d be free of him for two years at least! Even though they never faced each other due to their , Hanbin still often saw him at tournaments, and snide, hateful remarks were always thrown in his face. They didn’t bother him, of course, but it was still irritating. 

They settled in to watch the first fight, a contest between Jaesuk and another fighter. Whoever won this would be Hanbin’s opponent later on after he won his first round match. As much as he didn’t want to wish for Jaesuk to win, he really wanted to face him later just to put him in his place for a third time. Consistently beating guys who ran their mouths was one of his favourite things. 

They watched the match and Hanbin paid attention to Jaesuk’s style, noting what had improved, and what hadn’t. By the end of the first two minutes, he was confident he could beat him. Jaesuk was a bigger guy and he liked to throw heavier punches, which only meant that he tired himself out more quickly. That was exactly how Hanbin had beaten him the first two times, and he didn’t mind using the same tactics a third time. If a guy didn’t learn after two times, he deserved to get embarrassed. 

Jaesuk ended up winning his match by decision (and he was breathing heavily by the end of it), and Hanbin was pleased. 

“Ah I can’t believe he won!” Bobby said, unhappy with the result because he remembered Jaesuk’s attitude from earlier. Guys like that didn’t deserve to win, regardless of how good they are. 

“No, it’s good that he won!” Hanbin replied, leaning in closer to him. “That means I get to fight him later, and after watching this, I know I’ll win.” 

“How are you sure?” Bobby asked, and it’s not that he doubted Hanbin--he just didn’t understand boxing. 

“His fighting style hasn’t changed at all,” Hanbin answered, “he’s still a slugger, he always tries to go for knockouts because he’s got powerful arms. All he does is tire himself out. I’m really good at evading punches, so he’ll barely land anything on me.” 

“That’s how Hanbin beat him the last two times.” Junhoe added, pleased as well with the result. “Just let him swing his arms around until he’s tired, then pop inside and land a nice uppercut. You knocked him out the first time, didn’t you?” 

Hanbin grinned at the memory. “Yeah I did! Beat him on points the second time, which is when he got those black eyes. Kept jabbing him right in the face when he’d try and throw a heavy punch. I love beating guys who never learn.” 

Bobby just stared at Hanbin while he and Junhoe described things, a little in awe at how ridiculously hot it was to hear Hanbin talk about boxing. There was a confident, almost smug sound to his voice, and Bobby was captivated by it. 

Jinhwan enjoyed listening to them too, and he couldn’t help but notice the almost dumb expression on Bobby’s face as he listened to Hanbin. It was cute. Jinhwan hated to admit it, but it was also kind of cute to listen to Junhoe talk too? He was so genuinely excited about Hanbin’s boxing history that Jinhwan felt like maybe he’d misjudged him a tiny bit. He still thought Junhoe was an arrogant who needed to be put in his place, but it really did seem like he truly cared about Hanbin, and he sounded proud of him when he talked about him. 

Whatever. You could be an but still be good to your best friend. 

They watched two more fights before Hanbin had to head down to prepare for his (one of which had been Chanhyuk beating a much bigger opponent). The fights had provided a good distraction from the potential awkwardness, and Hanbin worried about whether peace would remain in place while he was gone. It was easy to keep Junhoe and Jinhwan separate with he and Bobby in the middle. How would Bobby fare on his own? 

“Good luck, Hanbin-ah! I’m looking forward to watching you kick some !” Jinhwan said, and he really was excited to see Hanbin fight. The matches so far had been more interesting than he’d expected. He’d tried watching a professional boxing match before, but he’d probably watched a dud. Jiu jitsu was the same way—if you didn’t practice the art yourself, you’d probably find a lot of matches boring because you didn’t understand the psychology and strategy behind the moves. 

“Thanks, hyung!” Hanbin smiled back at him before turning to Bobby. 

“I know you’re gonna kick this guy’s ,” Bobby said softly, fingers rubbing lightly over Hanbin’s arm, “try not to be too hot, okay? I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it.” 

Hanbin grinned and leaned forward, quickly pressing a kiss to Bobby’s cheek. “I’ll try to look as ugly as possible, just for you!” Bobby grinned back and squeezed his arm before leaning forward to kiss Hanbin’s cheek in response, feeling bold enough for it. Hanbin smiled at the gesture before turning to face Junhoe. 

“Kill this dude, bro!” Junhoe said, full of confidence that his best friend would get the win. 

“You know I will!” Hanbin replied, bumping fists before heading over to see his family (where he got a kiss from his sister) before going down to meet with his coach. 

When Hanbin left, there was a gap in between Junhoe and Bobby, and just as Bobby contemplated whether or not he should move over, he was surprised to see Junhoe slide closer to him. That was unexpected. 

“So, Junhoe,” Bobby felt emboldened by Junhoe’s shuffling over and wanted to open conversation before the silence got awkward, “has Hanbin fought this guy before?” Maybe it would be best if he appealed to Junhoe’s knowledge and asked him questions. Wasn’t that a good way to get someone to like you? Asking them for help? 

Junhoe hadn’t even realized he’d moved over, used to doing that when he was here watching with Hanbin’s parents. He took a moment to think about Bobby’s question, wanting to give an accurate answer. 

“He definitely has, I think they’ve fought each other twice before, if I remember correctly? Hanbin won both times.” In fact there weren’t many people here that Hanbin had ever lost to. Hanbin had a very impressive record, rarely ever finishing at a tournament out of the top two. Junhoe thought that if Hanbin wanted to, he probably could have trained up even more and gone for a shot at making the Olympic boxing team. But boxing wasn’t something Hanbin wanted to take that seriously. His first love was science, and he wasn’t willing to give up on his education for sports. 

Junhoe would drop school in a heartbeat if he could fight professionally. 

“Ah that’s good! I wish I knew more about boxing. Sorry in advance if I ask you any stupid questions. I just don’t want to be that annoying guy who says something when he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” It had taken Bobby a few years to really understand jiu jitsu, despite watching almost every one of Jinhwan’s fights. He didn’t really have a brain for combat sports. Give him a tactical team game that involved scoring goals and he was fine. Subjective scoring in fights, though? Not his strength. 

“It’s not a problem, hyung, I’ve been watching Hanbin’s fights for years, so I know boxing inside and out, pretty much.” Junhoe didn’t realize his slip-up until it was too late.! Had Bobby noticed that he’d called him hyung? He tried to look at him out of the corner of his eye, and ! Bobby had a huge smile on his face. He’d noticed. Damn it. So much for remaining aloof and keeping Bobby on his toes. 

“So, Junhoe, how long have you and Hanbin been friends?” Jinhwan asked, opting for a friendly conversation opener. 

“Practically forever,” Junhoe answered, unsure why Jinhwan was asking, but figuring it was safe enough to answer, “since we were about five.” 

“Did you meet at school?” Jinhwan knew that Bobby was probably giving him a warning look right now, confused about his sudden decision to play nice. He didn’t look at him, though, didn’t trust himself not to laugh at Bobby’s expression. 

“Yep.” Junhoe certainly hoped Jinhwan wasn’t expecting him to ask questions back, because he had no interest in hearing about the beginnings of Jinhwan and Bobby’s friendship, especially not after slipping up with Bobby. He had to stay somewhat aloof. 

“How come he’s into boxing and you do jiu jitsu?” Jinhwan asked. 

Junhoe took a moment before answering, still suspicious of Jinhwan’s intentions. Why was he pretending to be friendly? There was nothing to gain without Hanbin here. 

“He was always into boxing because of his dad. I actually tried it once but didn’t like it.” Junhoe answered honestly. 

“What was different about boxing that you didn’t like?” Bobby asked, happy they were managing to have a decent conversation. 

Junhoe shrugged, deciding he might as well continue with his honesty. “Didn’t like getting hit in the face.” 

“Does Hanbin like taking it in the face?” Jinhwan teasingly asked Bobby, who looked at him in surprise. 

“Jinan!” He couldn’t believe him! What an inappropriate joke! 

“Oh calm down! I’m just teasing you.” Jinhwan grinned, amused at how scandalized Bobby’s expression was. 

“Don’t make those kinds of jokes about Hanbin!” Bobby didn’t really mind them (okay they were a toe over the line, but he was used to Jinhwan saying things like that) but he really didn’t want him to say it in front of Junhoe. They’d been co-existing so peacefully! He didn’t want Junhoe to snap on Jinhwan for an indecent joke. 

Jinhwan grinned and waved his concern off. “Oh it’s fine, I bet Hanbin would have laughed!” 

Junhoe’s face crumpled in a disgruntled frown. Hanbin absolutely would laugh at that joke—hell Hanbin would make that joke! He didn’t like the idea that Jinhwan seemed to have Hanbin figured out already. 

“Well, at least we know Junhoe doesn’t like taking it in the face. Or getting hit in the face. Which is a shame.” Jinhwan said, turning his gaze on Junhoe. 

“Oh is it? And why is that?” Junhoe met Jinhwan’s stare, looking unimpressed. 

“I think you could benefit from getting hit in the face once or twice.” Jinhwan replied, smiling sweetly at him. 

“I’d benefit more from hitting someone in the face, once or twice.” Junhoe replied, annoyed gaze never leaving Jinhwan. 

“Oh, it sounds like there’s someone on your mind already?” Jinhwan asked, feeling mischievous. He was surprised Bobby wasn’t trying to interrupt this yet. 

Junhoe nodded. “Yeah, I can think of a guy.” 

“Do I know him?” Jinhwan asked. 

Junhoe laughed before answering sarcastically. “Yeah, actually I think you’re his biggest fan.” 

Jinhwan knew that Junhoe meant him, but he decided to play with him for fun. “Why do you want to punch G Dragon in the face?” Junhoe’s expression turned confused, and Jinhwan fought to keep from laughing. “He’s a national icon, I don’t think that would be a good idea!” 

“I wasn’t talking about G Dragon?!” Junhoe replied, annoyed that Jinhwan was trying to derail him. “I meant you!” 

Jinhwan grinned and waved his answer off. “Eh, you’re not the first person to tell me that, probably won’t be the last.” 

Junhoe shook his head in disgust. “Maybe you should take a hint.” 

Bobby sighed in between them, annoyed that they’d both ruined their moment of peace. He was mostly annoyed that it was continually Jinhwan who was trying to instigate, though. He was supposed to be the one behaving! Bobby looked at him, annoyed to find Jinhwan grinning. 

“Are you hearing this guy, Bobby? Threatening me in public! Me, his elder!” Jinhwan could see the anger and disappointment in Bobby’s eyes, but he couldn’t help himself. It was hard to be nice when Junhoe was so easy to rile up! 

“Yeah and you deserve every bit of it!” Bobby countered, quickly taking Junhoe’s side. It wasn’t just that Jinhwan really was in the wrong, but Bobby wanted Junhoe to know that he didn’t approve of it. Bobby thought it was important for him to make friends with Junhoe. If he’d known Jinhwan was going to make things worse, Bobby would have uninvited Jinhwan himself! 

Jinhwan knew he’d have to do some major damage control after today, but he was good at that. Temptation was hard to resist at the moment. “Well he can threaten me all he wants,” Jinhwan said, leaning forward in order to look at Junhoe, “I’ve already proved I can take him. Twice.” 

Junhoe bit back the angry retort he wanted to make. At least Jinhwan was proving him right today—he really was an . It felt weird to hear Bobby sticking up for him. Uncomfortable, actually. He didn’t want to feel like he owed anything to Bobby, and going against your best friend for the guy who doesn’t really like you was grounds for“owing him” .

“So, Junhoe,” Bobby was desperate to try and get over the hump, to distract from Jinhwan’s verbal jab, “when did you start training in jiu jitsu?” 

Junhoe was tempted to ignore Bobby, and he would have, had it not been for Hanbin. He looked down at where Hanbin was standing, waiting to get his gloves put on. Hanbin flashed him a quick thumbs up, and the last thing Junhoe wanted to do was distract him. He repeated the gesture back before turning to face Bobby. 

Time to be the bigger person and accept Bobby’s peace offering. He’d just ignore Jinhwan from now on. 

“I started when I was ten. It was after I tried out boxing, actually. Hanbin fought in his first fight and I got jealous, wanted to compete too. I was actually supposed to go to a karate class, but my mom brought me to a jiu jitsu one by mistake. I really enjoyed it, though, so I stuck with it.” He hoped Jinhwan would have the decency to keep out of the conversation, at least, and that Bobby would recognize how meaningful it was for Junhoe to actually talk to him. He was doing it all for Hanbin. 

“Ah, what a lucky mistake! Did Hanbin ever try jiu jitsu with you?” Bobby was grateful that Junhoe had answered his question. He’d thought for a second that Junhoe was going to ignore him instead. 

“Yeah, he came to a few classes. He liked it, but boxing is more his thing. He’s better at hitting than grappling.” 

“You guys make a dangerous pair, then!” Bobby joked, “anyone ever messes with you, you hold them and Hanbin hits them!” 

Junhoe couldn’t help but grin at the slightly cheesy attempt, and he ing hated it. Hanbin had totally been right. 

He actually liked Bobby. 

. 

“Yeah, to tell you the truth we do have a reputation around school. A lot of guys tried to give us when we both came out, but anyone who ever tried anything got their asses handed to them. So guys stopped trying real quick.” Junhoe wasn’t just exaggerating. Hanbin had come out first, and on that day two of their classmates had tried to jump him from behind. Junhoe had stepped in, and ten seconds later both of the aggressors were sporting busted lips and bloody noses. 

When a friend of the two had asked Junhoe why he’d stick up for a gay guy, Junhoe had made the split second decision to out himself as well. Another fight the following day had everyone keeping their distance, and keeping their mouths shut. Their short bout of being social pariahs was over quickly, and weeks later they both had more friends than they’d had before outing themselves. 

Coming out stories rarely ever ended so well, and Junhoe was willing to offer monetary guarantee that things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if they hadn’t done it together. 

Bobby couldn’t help but smile at the story, because there it was—the deep bond of friendship that was hiding beneath Junhoe’s prickly exterior. Clearly they’d been through a lot together, and he understood Junhoe’s protectiveness over Hanbin a little better too. 

“Alright, enough sappy stories! Hanbin’s fighting, finally!” Junhoe focused his attention on Hanbin again, because he was almost regretting telling Bobby about his history with Hanbin. It was a little too much, at least this early. He had to keep reminding himself that just because he’d admitted to himself that he liked Bobby, it didn’t mean that Bobby had to know. 

Bobby looked down at the floor too, watching as Hanbin took his spot for the fight. Bobby couldn’t help but feel a little elated that Junhoe had actually had a full conversation with him. It was huge. Almost like Junhoe was using Bobby as a way to deflect his attention off of Jinhwan. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that Jinhwan had been a jerk after all. If he’d been super polite, maybe Junhoe would still be stuck in his shell? There was no way to know for sure. 

Jinhwan focused on the fight too, but he was also thinking about Junhoe’s story. He was surprised to hear that Junhoe had only come out as a reflexive move to defend Hanbin. That sort of behaviour went against his impression of him. He could have just defended Hanbin, said he’d stick up for his best friend through anything. But that apparently hadn’t been enough for him. He’d actually wanted to share in Hanbin’s burden instead, wanted to go through hell together instead of separately. 

It was admirable, and Jinhwan wasn’t happy to hear it. Well, he was, because it meant that Junhoe was probably a better guy than he had him pegged as, and Jinhwan didn’t want Hanbin to be saddled with a best friend who really had a trash personality. But Jinhwan hated being wrong about people, and while he knew that his initial impression on Junhoe was based on a real part of his personality, he knew there might also be a good reason for that side to have come out. People were different on the mat during fights, bravado and insecurity making them act in a way that wasn’t how they truly were. 

He was living proof of that, after all. 

Maybe he’d completely misjudged Junhoe? And maybe Junhoe was vehemently against him as a result of Jinhwan’s own misconceptions? 

Or he could be giving him way too much credit, and Junhoe was just fabricating stories when Hanbin wasn’t here. No way to know, and Jinhwan didn’t like to ignore his gut feelings. 

Right before the fight was about to start a few guys took seats near the three of them. Right away two of them started talking . 

“Hey isn’t this the gay guy? Can’t believe he’s still fighting.” 

“Yeah man, ing disgusting. I don’t know why they don’t ban him. Shouldn’t have to fight fags.” 

Junhoe turned to face them, scanning them over to see if he knew them. They looked vaguely familiar, but not so much that he recognized them by name. He stared until one of them looked at him. 

“ you lookin’ at, blondie?” One of them asked, drawing the attention of his friend. 

Junhoe stared him right back in the eyes. “Two s that need to get ed.” 

“You lookin’ for a fight?” One of them threatened, and Junhoe laughed in response. 

“Yeah if you see someone worth fighting, let me know.” He focused his attention back on Hanbin, who was just touching gloves with his opponent, about to start the match. The guys muttered to themselves but didn’t say anything further, which suited Junhoe just fine. He didn’t want a distraction during Hanbin’s match. 

Bobby was once again feeling bothered, wondering if this sort of thing happened at Hanbin’s tournaments all the time? He’d never encountered anyone who’d ever brought up Jinhwan’s uality at his events. Was boxing that much more homophobic of a crowd? Or was Hanbin just that much more out with his uality than Jinhwan?

He’d decided to let Junhoe handle it, though, since Bobby was out of his place here. Junhoe would know the appropriate course of action. For now Bobby focused on Hanbin, which wasn’t difficult. Bobby hadn’t known what to expect in regards to his fighting, but Hanbin was fast in his movements, weaving around his opponent’s fists, getting off some lightning quick jabs to the guys’ head. 

It was hot. Hanbin was really good, and it showed! Even though Bobby didn’t know anything about boxing, he still thought Hanbin outclassed his opponent. He wanted to ask Junhoe for his opinion, but he was also wary of inviting comments from the pair sitting by them, so he kept his questions to himself for now, waiting for the end of the first two minutes. 

When the bell rang Bobby turned to Junhoe, who had an impressed smirk on his face. 

“I love being best friends with the best fighter at this tournament!” Junhoe said, and Bobby grinned at him, his question about just how impressive Hanbin had been answered with the statement. 

“He was really good, wasn’t he?” Bobby replied, and he felt proud when he looked back down at Hanbin. 

“That was a perfect first round! He’s clearly on a different level from this guy, this is a mismatched fight.” Junhoe was itching to look back at the other two, to rub it in their faces over how good Hanbin was. Maybe he would, if he was by himself. But he didn’t want to draw Bobby into something potentially troubling while Hanbin still had more fighting left. 

“He’s really fast in there,” Bobby ventured, trying to find a good way to ask questions that wouldn’t make it sound like he didn’t know what he was talking about. 

“Damn right he is, he’s dancing circles around this guy, it’s embarrassing. He’s always been really fast in the ring, doesn’t get tired as quickly as most of them either. Which is actually really funny, because it’s not like he does that much cardio training? He’s just naturally got a lot of endurance. I keep telling him he should up his training, he could probably make the Olympic team.” 

Bobby looked at Junhoe in surprise. “He’s that good, you think?” While Hanbin was obviously good, Bobby didn’t realize that he was quite that good. Junhoe didn’t seem like the type to exaggerate about things like this. 

“Definitely, his coach bugs him about it all the time too. Some people are made for certain sports, he’s made for boxing. But he’s more set on studying to get into a top university, and he says that committing to boxing will take time away from trying to have a life outside of school. Which, okay, he’s got a point there. But still, school isn’t going anywhere. His parents would support him if he took a break for boxing, I know they would.” 

Jinhwan listened in silence, curious about Hanbin’s situation regarding the sport. He kind of felt a bit of a kinship with him over it, was reminded him of his own struggles, trying to reconcile what everyone told him he should be doing, versus doing what he wanted to do instead. 

They watched the second round, which was a mirror of the first. When the bell rang they celebrated, standing up and cheering, and Junhoe barely noticed the other two guys leaving. As much as he wanted to rub Hanbin’s victory in their faces, sometimes it was just as good to see guys try to slink away unnoticed. 

They were interrupted again as they sat down, another unfamiliar voice speaking up. 

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you, but I just had a quick question!” 

Junhoe turned around to face the intruder, his eyes falling on a guy who looked to be around his age, wearing glasses that made him look a little nerdy. Why was this guy talking to him? 

“What?” 

The stranger smiled at him, obviously trying his best to appear confident. “I couldn’t help but overhear you earlier, talking about your friend who just won--” 

“What about it?” Junhoe asked, annoyed glare settling over the guy. Was he just here to talk ? Couldn’t people just leave them all alone? 

“Were you serious? Before, I heard guys mention that your friend who won, that he’s gay--” 

Junhoe interrupted him, irritated already. There was always someone looking to start ! “Yeah, he’s gay. I’m gay too.” He pointed at Bobby and Jinhwan. “They’re also gay. You got a ing problem with it?” 

The stranger shook his head, eyes wide with alarm. “No! No, not at all! It’s just that, ah, I started this whole thing wrong!” He paused for a second, composing himself. “I just moved back to Korea after studying abroad in the US for a few years, and I’m looking for a boxing gym to join, because I trained back in America. Your friend, well, he’s really amazing in the ring! So he must train at a good gym. And I just thought, if he’s gay, well, I’m actually, I’m gay too, so…” 

Junhoe rolled his eyes at the guy, annoyed at the interruption. What guarantee was there that this guy wasn’t lying? Did someone set him up to come over and bother them? 

It was Jinhwan who extended the offer of friendship. “Have a seat, you’re being awkward standing up!” He smiled and gestured at the bench in front of them, and the kid sat down. “I’m Jinhwan, what’s your name?” 

The newcomer smiled back at him. “Ah, thanks! I’m Kim Donghyuk.” 

“Well, Donghyuk, this is Bobby, and the unfriendly one is Junhoe. You’ll have to forgive him, as I’m sure you overheard, he’s used to people talking about Hanbin, who’s the guy that was fighting. He probably thought you were coming over to cause trouble.” Jinhwan understood Junhoe’s suspicion, but he had a good feeling about this kid. He seemed genuine. 

“Ah, thank you! I really didn’t mean to be a bother, but I’m still trying to figure out which gym to join. Like I said, he was, wow, he was really impressive!” Donghyuk blushed a little as he spoke, grateful to Jinhwan for being friendly. 

“He was, wasn’t he?” Jinhwan replied, amused at Donghyuk’s attitude. He was a cute little dork. “Don’t be too impressed though, you might make his boyfriend jealous.” Jinhwan motioned to Bobby, who shook his head. 

“Ah, no, don’t misunderstand!” Donghyuk was quick to say. “Like I said, I need somewhere new to train, and he’s really amazing. It’s not really easy being gay in boxing, so, I just thought it would be easier to find a gym with someone like me.” 

Bobby was quick to offer his hand next when Donghyuk clarified his interest in Hanbin. He hadn’t been worried about him anyway! Just confused. Donghyuk clearly wasn’t a threat. “I’m sure he’d be happy to introduce you to the owner.” Bobby offered, wanting to make amends for the slightly frosty greeting they’d given him. 

“Ah, really? I don’t want to impose, if you can give me the club information, I can go on my own. I don’t want to be a bother.” Donghyuk smiled back, and Jinhwan wished he had the information to give him. He looked expectantly at Junhoe, who probably had all the details. Would he actually be nice and give them, though? 

Junhoe was aware of Jinhwan’s eyes on him, and he was debating his options. Did he feign ignorance and hope the kid would go away? Or did he prove Jinhwan wrong and give him the information he wanted? 

“It won’t be a bother, really, Hanbin will be happy to talk to you.” He could just give the kid the info and have him leave, but he honestly thought Hanbin would probably prefer to take him down and introduce him himself. That’s what Junhoe would do, if he was met with the same situation. The longer this kid stuck around, the less Junhoe thought he was an impostor, and he understood exactly how unwelcoming the community could be towards gay guys. Best to stick together. 

“Who am I talking to?” Just then Hanbin rejoined them, leaning over onto Bobby’s shoulders, friendly smile in place as he locked eyes on Donghyuk. 

“You’re back, congrats on the victory, bro! This is Donghyuk, just moved here from the US and wants to join your gym. He’s gay too.” Junhoe conducted the verbal hand-off, giving Hanbin all the pertinent information. 

Hanbin grinned at Junhoe’s introduction. “It’s nice to meet you!” Hanbin replied, reaching out with a handshake. Donghyuk took it, and within a minute Hanbin was leading Donghyuk back down the bleachers, towards his coach. 

A silence settled over the other three as they waited for him to come back. Things were in a weird state of peace at the moment, a position none of them had expected to be in.  There was still the possibility that as the day wore on, patience would wear thin and tensions would snap. But for now all three of them were feeling positive. Junhoe liked Bobby, Jinhwan didn’t think Junhoe was quite so bad anymore, and Bobby was perched carefully in the middle, hoping that Hanbin’s victory would keep up the good spirits for the rest of the day.